UPDATE: Seven Local Development Corporation Members Named

Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell announced the names of seven members of the newly formed Local Development Corporation (LDC) on Monday. The LDC named the “Rockland County Health Facilities Corporation” is being formed as a way of selling the county owned Summit Park Nursing Care Center in Pomona, which has been losing an average of $10 million annually for several years.

The seven unpaid directors represent a cross section of Rockland’s business, health and educational communities. Those named by Vanderhoef are Raymond Sheridan of Orangeburg, Susan Sherwood of Stony Point, Michael Shilale of New City, Steven Yassky of Upper Nyack and those named by the legislature are Roberta Zampolin of Valley Cottage, Adam Kurland of New City and Magdalena Ramirez. The seven members, four appointed by County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and three named by the county legislature, will be officially voted on by the legislature at a special meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m.  

In April, the County created a LDC for the purpose of selling the 321-bed Summit Park Nursing Care Center. The legislation authorizes a transfer of the assets of Summit Park.

Sheridan is president of Raymond Sheridan Financial Inc., an independent insurance agency in Pearl River. He is a broker with Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service, serves on the Board of Directors of Volumetric Mutual Funds and Rockland County Workman’s Compensation Consortium and was a past president of the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce.

Sherwood is serving her second term as county Social Services commissioner with responsibility for overseeing administration of the local Medicaid program. She serves on the Workforce Investment Board of Rockland County and Board of the New York Public Welfare Association.

Shilale has been an architect for over 25 years and is the chairman of the Green Council for the Rockland Business Association and serves on the RBA Board of Directors. Yassky has been associated with his family’s business, Rockland Realty, and has been a realtor since 1985. He is on the Executive Board of the Rockland Economic Development Corporation (REDC) and served as REDC chairman from 2009-2012.

Zampolin was the Nyack Schools superintendent for nine years until 2005 after serving the school district as business administrator and assistant superintendent for business/personnel for 25 years.  Zampolin is an accountant, held all executive board positions with both the New York State Association for School Business Officials and Rockland County School Business Officials.  She is on the Board of Governors of the New York State Insurance Reciprocal, chair of the Rockland County Workers’ Compensation Trust and serves on the Chairs Council of Leadership Rockland.

Kurland has been a practicing attorney since 1994 and is a partner in the New City law firm of Fenster & Kurland LLP. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and Board of Directors of the Rockland County Bar Association.

Ramirez served as chief executive officer of Helen Hayes Hospital from 1989 to 2009. Previously, she was assistant director of operations at New York Health and Hospital Corporation and assistant director with the NYS Department of Health’s Office of Health Systems Management. She is currently vice-president of Membership Services for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association in Washington, D.C.

Vanderhoef and Cornell noted the proposed sale is expected to take from 12 to 18 months, and emphasized the facility’s operation will remain unchanged and residents will continue to receive the same care. Until a sale is finalized, Summit Park workers will remain employed by the county under their current union contract.

“By creating an LDC, we satisfy the bond rating agencies that have urged us to come up with a plan for the facility,” said Vanderhoef. “In addition, revenues from the sale will be used both to pay off existing Summit Park debt and to reduce the county deficit.”

“Sadly, Rockland County does not have the financial resources to deal with infrastructure problems and the ever-increasing costs of staff at Summit Park,” said Cornell.  With state and federal reimbursements undependable at best, the burdensome costs are more than county taxpayers can bear.”

According to government officials, approximately 15 percent of the average homeowner’s county property tax bill goes to keeping the hospital and nursing home open and the costs of underwriting them will continue to increase.